p9 news mar5 3/3/10 12:56 Page 9
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Interview Andy Freeth
Travel 2 puts agents
back on agenda
Travel 2 managing director Andy Freeth tells Chris Gray how
the business has come through upheaval to focus on the trade
O
n the wall in Travel 2’s Glasgow head- agents and making sure our website, brochures The reward scheme will be a long-term
quarters hangs a whiteboard proudly and point of sale material are what they need.” incentive in which agents collect points for
displaying the statement: “What we He also wants to alter the way agents look bookings that can be exchanged for prizes like
do for agents”. Underneath, staff at the company. “I want to change agents’ shopping vouchers or games. It is due to start in
have listed all the ways they can think of in which perception of Travel 2 from a flight consolidator April and Freeth says it will make Travel 2 “level”
the long-haul specialist helps independent to a tour operator,” he says. with rival Gold Medal, which has had a similar
agents. scheme for some time.
It’s a long list and managing director Andy Package pursuit He cannot resist capitalising on the fact that
Freeth (above right) says it will get longer this “In January we sold four times as many package Gold Medal is now owned by Thomas Cook, which
year as Travel 2 focuses more on serving its trade holidays as in January last year. The challenge is he claims provides every reason for independent
customers. to keep that going. We want to keep increasing agents to beat a path to his door.
Travel 2 had a difficult 2009 as its Australian the proportion of package holidays we sell “I can’t understand why an independent agent
parent company Stella Travel Services restruc- because that is where the margins are higher. would sell Gold Medal over Travel 2 when three
tured. There was speculation about Travel 2’s “The high street is suffering from short-haul doors down the road that product is available in
stability and indeed future, but that quietened business going online and direct, so the inde- a Thomas Cook shop that is competing for exactly
down after the refinance left the UK businesses pendent agent has to change its model to long- the same customer as the independent agent,”
in better shape for future growth. haul and the complicated itineraries we offer.” he says.
The focus on supporting agents this year will
Agency sales bring “lots” more fam trips he says, as well as Online focus
Travel 2’s core divisions were brought together more training days and a sales team determined Other changes coming this year will see Travel 2
in one office in Glasgow and Freeth says the is- to see up to 400 agents a month. try to channel more of its business online rather
sues of 2009 have been dealt with, leaving the The two big changes are an update to Travel 2’s than through its call centre. Freeth says about
business free to concentrate on selling through website and the introduction of a reward scheme. 15% of the business done in the call centre now
agents. Until January, agents using the website had to could be done via the web.
“The last six months were about stabilising the make separate bookings for the flight and “We want to take that 15% online so it can free
business and during that time it was difficult to accommodation element, but a dynamic packag- up people in our call centre to work on tailor-
look at our processes and what we were selling. ing system added at the start of the year now made products that Travel 2 is well known for,”
“We are now focused on serving independent allows them to be done in one transaction. he says, emphasising that it does not herald a
reduction in call centre jobs.
Andy Freeth CV Travel 2 also aims to reduce the
number of its suppliers and to work
Travel 2
March 2009-present Managing director
more closely with them on joint
marketing campaigns such as the
Stella Travel Services UK
2006–2009 Sales director, Triton Products
one it has already had with Thai
On Holiday Group
hotel group Centara.
2004–2006 National account manager
Such campaigns may well target
Europcar
specific periods of the year as the
2003-2004 International account manager late booking trend continues.
Airtours
“Hotels are seeing this and trying
1997–2001 Overseas rep/team to stimulate demand by bringing
leader/trainer
Back to the drawing board, as Gordon McCreadie, sales director and Rhona Galbraith, senior
2001-2003 UK sales executive
out great tactical offers. It will be
marketing executive, show how Travel 2 helps independent agents the year of tacticals,” he predicts.
05.03.2010 09
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